What happens when your nitrates are really high?

[Delapool]

Having app troubles.

I had a quick look re chlorine and nitrate and can't imagine that working. Wiki has almost all inorganic nitrate salts are soluble in water so it didn't look possible to add a chemical and get the nitrate to drop out of solution (tank water) as a solid where it could be gravel vac'd up. Purely layman stuff though from myself.

 

[BillD]

While I don't advocate the use of chemicals or special products as a rule, I would look into the use of purigen to prefilter the water prior to being added to the tank, to remove the nitrate. I have never used it nor do I have the need, but from reports by users, it does seem to work, and can be recharged. Nitrate increases can be reduced by keeping the filter clean, removing solid wastes before they can be broken down.
As far as adding salt goes, contrary to what is posted above, it isn't needed nor will it do what is claimed. Salt is an irritant and has some benefits as a medicine, to help the fish slough off the slime layer, as well as helping with nitrite toxicity (it is claimed). Regardless, this is the "Salt Myth" rearing it's ugly head again. Fresh water fish have evolved to live in fresh water, not salty water.
Another term that showed up in this thread, which I had never heard before was "nitrate shock". While it may have some basis, it would more likely be related to Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) in the water which can result in osmotic shock; it wouldn't be as a direct result of the nitrate itself, just a difference in total TDS. So called "pH shock" is more likely osmotic shock rather than pH shock, which I once read has never been authenticated, despite seeing it repeated many times as a fact.
Bottom line here is that whatever the upper limit for nitrate is 40 or lower or higher. the reality is that the cleaner the water, the better. I don't think anyone will argue that. Actually, that isn't true. I think I have seen on this forum, one poster who keeps his fish in water that has nitrate levels above 100. His fish look fine.

 

[Dnoel5787]

No chlorine! Nitrates are not beneficial bacteria; they are the final product of the beneficial bacteria's nitrifying cycle. If you kill the BB, you will first see a spike in ammonia and nitrites, then even more nitrates. Also, the chlorine itself is harmful to the fish. I'm not experienced with purigen. Hopefully that will provide a solution.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Thumper828]

Once again trying to think it out...is nitrate a chemical or a bacteria? I would think bacteria since it "feeds" on nitrite. If it is a bacteria then it should be able to be "killed"...correct?.....

 

[Rare]

If the OP has high nitrate in the water doesn't matter how much water change she does, she will always have high nitrate. Only 2 ways to solved this issues as I see it. A: Sell off your aquarium and fish.

B. Get a RODI system or other filter system & at least add 50-60% of RODI water and the rest tap water. That will bring your nitrates down. If you do a full out water exchanged using RODI water you will need to add these mineral back in the water. How big of an aquarium are we talking about here?

 

[Dnoel5787]

Once again trying to think it out...is nitrate a chemical or a bacteria? I would think bacteria since it "feeds" on nitrite. If it is a bacteria then it should be able to be "killed"...correct?.....

No worries. I've spent lots of time talking to fish people and reading up on this since chemistry is not my thing.

Nitrate doesn't feed on nitrite, it is the byproduct of nitrite. Here's the way the cycle works, and I find it most useful to consider the bacteria as what it is: a microorganism that consumes food and excretes waste.

When you feed you fish, they excrete ammonia, which would spoil their water and kill hem but in nature and in a well established aquarium filter (or substrate, technically--let's just stick with filter since that's where most of ithappens), there are beneficial bacteria, which consume the ammonia. As they consume the ammonia, they excrete nitrite. Fortunately, these colonies of bacteria also eat nitrite, so as the water continues cycling through the filter, it consumes the nitrite and the excretion is nitrate. Nitrate can make fish sick and vulnerable, but does not kill them at most levels. Unfortunately, no bacteria eats the nitrate, but plants use nitrate as fertilizer, so lots of plants can lower nitrate levels. Otherwise, there is nothing in the ecosystem of the aquarium to consume nitrate, so you have to remove it via water changes. So, consider the nitrate bacteria poop (for lack of a better word), but not bacteria.

It all starts with food for the fish...then,
Ammonia=Fish poop and Beneficial Bacteria A food
Nitrite=Beneficial Bacteria A poop and Beneficial Bacteria B food
Nitrate=Beneficial Bacteria B poop and plant food

That's probably not the most scientifically precise description, but it is how I have been able to explain the nitrogen cycle to friends and family when they ask.

Fortunately, my Rocky Mountain tap water contains no nitrates of its own, so a small change can make a big difference. Unfortunately for the OP, her tap water has lots of nitrates itself, so she has to change far more water as she is simply removing water with 160 ppm (parts per million) of nitrates and replacing it with tap water that has as many as 60 ppm. Ideally, she would like to see her nitrates somewhere between 10 and 40, but she will have a heck of a time achieving less than 60-80 even with her diligence in water changes. I hope this helps explain. Let me know if you have any other questions!

 

[Thumper828]

Great explanation!! I always have thought the trates and trites were the bacteria and the ammo was the chemical but what you have explained makes perfect sense. Thanks for the clarification.
So in reality the only way the OP can have low nitrates is by using an RO system....correct?

 

[Link119]

How about getting some fast growing plants? They should suck up nitrates fast.

 

[Dnoel5787]

How about getting some fast growing plants? They should suck up nitrates fast.

Plants will help, but I don't think she can tame those trates just with plants. Good excuse to go shopping, though!

 

[enrgizerbunny]

Just a thought...trying to think this out....

When I read about filter maintenance folks are are always saying "don't rinse media in chlorinated water, it kills your BB!" Since you are on well water and the nitrates are High, and nitrates are BB ,as an experiment, what if you added pool chlorine to your water before adding water to your aquarium...then dose with prime to neutralize the chlorine...
Would the chlorine "kill" the nitrates?

I think you missed something. Nitrates are chemicals, produced by beneficial bacteria. You can't really "kill" nitrates, unless by a chemical process to convert them into their base components. Unfortunately a chemical process would likely kill the fish. This brings us to nitrate reduction/removal, which can be accomplished by several methods. Water changes, aquarium plants, nitrate absorbing media: all methods of nitrate reduction. OP has 40-80ppm nitrates in her tap water.

This stuff ain't rocket surgery, but it's not quite as cut and dry as I think you have it.

 

[Paul1792]

Try Spring Water

Yep ....... Nitrate (NO3) is a chemical compound and breaking it down to its components of nitrogen (N) and oxygen (O) would be quite a deadly feat for the fish.

Camogirl28:

My tap comes with 10 ppm nitrates and LOTS of phosphates and other bad stuff that makes it taste horrible. [The dog won't even drink it !!!!!} So I bite the bullet and buy a lot of spring water. If it's worth it to you and you can afford it, use bottled Spring Water. Name brand stuff at Walmart is $1 a gallon and their off brand is 88 cents a gallon.

I had my heart set on adding 55 gallon until I found from this forum that 25% water changes were to be done weekly NOT monthly.

You cannot use solely Reverse Osmosis water either. It is void of minerals. The Culligen drinking water they sell at Walmart for 27 cents a gallon is RO water and UV sterilized. Since gradually moving from doing monthly water changes to weekly water changes, I have been using 50% spring water, 25% tap water, and 25% RO. Thus far the water is staying crystal clear and fish are happy, active, & vibrant.

Good luck to you.

BTW: I sure envy all the people on this forum that can use tap water and one of those automatic water changers......... I'd probably have a 120 gallon by now if I could do that. This hauling water in buckets and taking empty gallon jugs to walmart to fill 'em up 10 at a time with RO is a real PAIN.